I have tried many tube combinations so many that I have to look to remember what I have plugged in at the moment. The latest tube changes have been rectifier tubes. I have Mullard GZ34 in the CSP2 and Shuguang 274B in the Taboo and ZP3. I should add that the Shuguang factory also produces tubes for Sophia and Valve Art. I suspect they are all the same tube with different logo on the glass.

The Mullard is used so it was already broken in but the Chinese 274s were new direct from the factory ($24.95 + $15 shipping, 20 days). My first impression was wow nice bottom end then that nasty top caught my ears. Not terribly bad but bad enough to notice. I left the system running with CD source for a few hours and returned to listen. Not as bad but still not great.

Today the mail ran and I got more Herbies Audio Labs tube dampers, put them on and fired up the glass menagerie. The whole thing sounded pretty good this morning listening to Steely Dan Aja on MFSL CD then some Jethro Tull from a Chrysalis box set. The tube damper for the 274B is kind of expensive compared to the rest, it takes the Ultra Sonic 65 and I swear the glass is big enough to raise goldfish inside.

Last night there was a shootout between the Taboo amp and a NYAL Moscode 75 with George Kay upgrades. The NYAL is a very good amp and only at the highest levels of play does it beat the Taboo but not in imaging or clarity. New 6L6 for the GTA SE-40 should arrive next week and I will put it and the McIntosh MC 40 monoblocks in the ring. I am hosting a Cinco de Mayo party May 5th for a few neighbors and I know some will want to hear the new system.

I am now convinced the HAL Little Fat Gliders are the footers for me under the ERR speakers. I can't say enough good things about the sound and the ease I now have moving them about the room. I am on hardwood floors so these may not work for everyone but if you are in a similar situation you should consider giving them a try.

The only new vinyl is a couple of Test Pressings one by Phil Everly (has a Warren Zevon song on the list) and a never been played Joe Cocker. I wonder if anyone would really know or care if I played it once? :)

Sometimes tube-rolling drives me absolutely nuts! But it can really pay off in dividends.

In my system change is the only constant lately. I took out the ZCD, the ZBox, and the CSP2 and the SE34 Monoblocks. I now have that excellent Sony SACD player and the Integrated in their place. Simpler, very good solid sound. What also has really helped is Steve's ZenStyx speaker cables. These are wonderful cables. Also the treble cut circuit in the Integrated is a wonderful tone control that lets me enjoy many recordings.

Though these changes are very satisfying, more change is on the horizon as two pairs of Radials are comign in the near future, and even before that the Torii Mark II amplifier.

Richard, I crimped some Radio Shack terminations on them. Not ideal, but didn't notice any difference between bare end and crimped end. (Except bare ends don't work well with the size of the binding posts).

I was doing some listening this evening something I have done a lot of lately. Tonight I got to thinking about the shortcomings of my system and its long suit. This is an extremely sweet sounding system, very smooth and not in your face. It doesn't shout at me, make me edgy or nervous nor do I wait anxiously for that non forgiving passage I know is coming. I have several recordings that had that one spot and you know what I mean.

This system is my "Puff The Magic Dragon" stereo. I have bought it stings and sealing wax and all that fancy stuff. The weak link is my CD, Adcom 700 which sounds like a garbage disposal when changing CDs. It's embarrassing to have a system go from so sweet and smooth to something that sounds like an ATM machine being thrown down a flight of stairs but it is what it is. Herbie sent me a set of his tall Tender Feet to put under it and in all honesty it did help but let's also be honest, it still sounds like an ATM machine being thrown down a flight of stairs when it changes CDs.

I have no problem with my turntable system. I can die happy loving what I have. Perhaps I could spend another $10,000 and shave the hair from my ears to hear some slight difference but for the time being I am content keeping my ear hair braided and the $10,000 in my pocket. I have tried all kinds of mats, no mat, felt mat, rubber mat, dimpled mat, grungebuster mat, layer of peanut butter mat and all it does is confuse me. I like a mat one day and tomorrow I may hate it. Same for tube dampers. I own 4 different kinds and most of the time I can't tell the difference but sometimes I can. Component and transformer weights work for me and I do use a couple of them. I may never remove the Mapleshade platforms from under my equipment. They work for me and I miss them when I take them out.

At least I am comfortable with this system. To me it is beautiful but to some it looks like a science project gone bad. This will probably be my last system and I like to think I got it right. I find it very easy to smile when in my music room. :)

Well, I'm glad that you are happy and comfortable with your system. That means so much. I WANT to listen to music, not hardware and I know you do too.

The source becomes more and more important with these systems and their transparency and impact. That's the hardest thing. I now think I understand why there are incredibly expensive source components!

Yes, that's definitely a problem with these systems. Most of my recordings are mediocre, some great, a few more good, quite a few bad. Finding the source to add a little euphony to make it all listenable is not easy. I found that in the Sony ES SACD player I'm using, the Redbook is amazing. I will try the ZCD again when I get the Torii II. . . that may be the ticket then. There's no one right answer with thousands of recordings. . . .

i've got two of those shuguang 274B tubes if anyone wants them. i ordered them from china and the first shipment got lost. it took two months for me to get anything and by then i had found some rectifier tubes that i'm happy with.

i'm about to build a new set of speakers though. some pi3 from pi speakers (eminence psd2002 driver/horn and eminence delta 12lfa - 2way).i also have a grado sonata that i need to send off to be retipped and i need to order the power outlet and case for a hagerman bugle phono preamp...or i just need a real preamp....

my cd player i'm happy with. it's an old NAD that deosn't have the capability for a remote ;D

Jeff I have been listening to the Shuguang 274B in my Taboo since Saturday and don't think it's a bad tube. I also got mine from the factory taking 20 days for them to get to me. I bought 2 for $39.95 including shipping. They say they also make the Sophia and Valve Art tubes. I prefer the Mullard GZ34 or the Mazda 5Y3GTB but tube rolling gives me something to do when I'm bored. :)